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COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
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BCDP BOOK & FILM REVIEW Your literary guide to "little-mentioned, often neglected, sometimes hard to find in your local library" books of national importance as well as quality films that seldom make it to your local theater or video store. Click on the title for additional information!
Voting Republican: Why every vote matters.
Dear Mr. President: Pink says it best.
Lie by Lie: The Mother Jones Iraq War Timeline (8/1/90 - 6/21/03): What did our leaders know and when did they know it?
SiCKO: This is an explosive new film from the Academy Award® winning director for Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker Michael Moore who sets out to investigate the American healthcare system. Sticking to his tried-and true one-man approach, Moore sheds lights on the complicated medical affairs of individuals and local communities.
An Inconvenient Truth: This must-see movie eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. The film is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry.
Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers: This 75-minute documentary directed by Robert Greenwald, looks at how the lives of soldiers, widows and children have been changed forever as a result of corporate greed in the reconstruction of Iraq. The film uncovers the connections between private contractors making big profits in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.
The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War: Hailed as "the must see movie of the year," The Ground Truth introduces to a number of young soldiers who speak candidly and powerfully about the motivations that led them to join the military. In this 78-minute video, patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq - are filmed as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home - with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all - the truth.
9/11 Press For Truth: Following September 11, a small group of victim's families fought tenaciously against those who sought to bury the truth about the event -- including, to their amazement, President Bu$h. Transforming themselves virtually overnight from political novices to skilled lobbyists and media personalities, the 9/11 families forced the government's hand and compelled an official investigation. Adapting Paul Thompson's Complete 9/11 Timeline (published as "The Terror Timeline" by HarperCollins, widely considered the "gold standard" of 9/11 research), 9/11 Press For Truth stitches together overlooked news clips, buried stories and official press conferences to reveal a pattern of government lies.
The Big Buy: How Tom DeLay Stole Congress: This documentary features interviews with Democratic and Republican lawmakers from Texas, Molly Ivans and Jim Hightower. The first part of this 75-minute film details DeLay's efforts to win GOP seats in the Legislature in 2002 to push through a redistricting plan that helped Texas send more Republicans to Congress in 2004. The film also describes the investigation by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle who has charged DeLay and two associates with money laundering for funneling corporate donations to state GOP candidates through a Texas committee and an arm of the Republican National Committee. Under Texas law, corporate money cannot be used directly for political campaigns. Filmmakers Jim Schermbeck and Mark Birhbaum tell the story that will shock all Americans.
Earth: The Sequel; The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming is a remarkable book by Fred Krupp, longtime president of the Environment Defense Fund (www.edf.org). For too long, special interests have blocked global warming action, claiming that clean energy solutions are unrealistic and too costly. Those days must end. That's why Fred wrote this book. We need to change the global warming conversation and focus on the abundance of clean energy alternatives already available to solve the global warming crisis. Fred brings a stirring and hopeful call to arms. Encounter the bold innovators and investors who are reinventing energy and the ways we use it; a frontier impresario who keeps his ice hotel frozen with the energy of hot springs; a utility engineer who creates fuel by feeding smokestack gasses to voracious algae; and a tribe of Native Americans who are harvesting the fierce power of the waves themselves. These entrepreneurs are poised to remake the world's biggest business and save the planet! W. W. Norton. 256 pages, hardcover.
A Remarkable Mother by former President Jimmy Carter is a loving, admiring, wry homage to his mother, Miss Lillian Carter. She was a registered nurse, pecan grower, university housemother, Peace Corps volunteer, public speaker and renowned raconteur. Miss Lillian ignored the mores and prejudices of the racially segregated South of the Great Depression years. She was an avid supporter of the Brooklyn Dodgers because she happened to attend the first major league baseball game in which Jackie Robinson played (Jackie was from Cairo, Georgia). She was a favored guest on television talk shows and an important role model for the nation. Jimmy Carter's mother emerges from this portrait as redoubtable, generous and forward-looking. President Carter credits her for his own life's work of commitment and faith. Simon and Schuster, 240 pages, hardcover.
Memo To The President Elect: How To Restore America's Reputation and Leadership by Madeleine Albright makes full use of her experiences as an advisor to two presidents and as a key figure in four presidential transitions. Secretary Albright believes that after eight years of mismanagement and miscalculations under George W. Bu$h, the office of the American President will be at an all-time low. The new Commander-in-Chief will have to recover quickly and rebuild completely. In her new book, she offers a persuasive wide-ranging set of recommendations to the prospective winner of the 2008 presidential election. Secretary Albright explains how to select a first-rate foreign policy team, how to avoid the pitfalls that plagues earlier presidents, how to ensure that decisions, once carefully made, are successfully implemented, and how to employ the full range of tools available to a president to persuade other countries to support the United States' objectives. She addresses all the major world conflicts that are sure to be paramount over the next four years at the White House; top of her list if our confrontation with terror, Iraq and the Middle East. Also, the control of nuclear weapons, the rise of Asia, emerging threats to democracy, and the management of U.S. relations with troublesome leaders, including Iran's President Mahomoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and North Korea's Kim Jon-Il. HarperCollins, 336 pages, hardcover.
The Assault On Reason by former Vice President Al Gore provides a blistering analysis of the Bu$h administration and a diagnosis of the ailing condition of America as a participatory democracy (low voter turnout, voter cynicism, a poorly-informed electorate, political campaigns that rely on 30-second commercials, and an increasingly corporate-controlled media). Gore’s central argument is that “reason, logic and truth seem to play a sharply diminished role in the way America now makes important decisions” and that the country’s public discourse has become “less focused and clear, less reasoned.” This “assault on reason,” he suggests, is personified by the way the Bu$h White House operates. Echoing many reporters and former administration insiders, Gore says that the administration tends to ignore expert advice (be it on troop levels, global warming or the deficit), to circumvent the usual policy-making machinery of analysis and debate, and frequently to suppress or disdain the best evidence available on a given subject so it can promote predetermined, ideologically driven policies. Penguin Press, 329 pages, hardcover.
Living History is Hillary Rodham Clinton's revealing memoir of life through the White House years. She discloses many "backstage" details, from the personal to the humorous, like the time a mischievous Boris Yeltsin tried to coax her into sampling moose-lip soup. Her devotion to Chelsea, Bill and our country, her hopes for the future, her infectious sense of optimism and unwavering energy shine through in her delivery and will leave the reader with a new respect for the former First Lady. Scribner, 592 pages, hardcover.
Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe. Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington tackles the issues that are crucial to this year’s presidential election and even the fate of the country. Huffington makes the case that America has been hijacked from within by a radical element — the “lunatic fringe” of the Right that has taken over the Republican Party. Despite holding views at odds with the majority of Americans, these zealots have given us an endless war in Iraq, a sputtering economy, a health care system on life support, a war on science and reason, and an immoral embrace of torture. But they haven’t done it on their own: they have been enabled by a compliant media that act as if there is no such thing as truth and are more interested in cozying up to those in power than in holding them accountable. Knopf, 400 pages, hardcover.
Positively American: Winning Back the Middle-Class Majority One Family at a Time, by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, defines a new Democratic vision for victory in 2008 and beyond. The first part includes war stories and colorful anecdotes -- from his improbable Senate election in 1998 to the nearly impossible take-over of the Senate this past fall -- and describes the eight words that carried Bu$h to re-election in 2004: war in Iraq, cut taxes, no gay marriage. What are our eight words? That question is answered in the second part of Positively American - "The 50% Solution" - where Senator Schumer presents eleven ambitious but concrete goals, to be achieved within ten years. For each goal, he offers a novel solution and explain its importance for our party and our country. Senator Schumer is New York’s popular senior senator, who won reelection by the largest margin in the state’s history. Rodale Books, 288 pages, hardcover.
What a Party!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals is a fascinating, hilarious, and provocative look at the life of one of Washington's legendary figures. Former Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe has a new book about his years in Democratic politics. From wrestling an alligator to running the Democratic National Committee to his friendship with President Clinton, Chairman McAuliffe's wonderful memoir covers it all and is the political book of the year. Thomas Dunne Books, 416 pages, hardcover.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is Senator Obama's second book. In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called “the audacity of hope.” With this book, Senator Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people. Random House, 608 pages, hardcover.
The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11 begins three weeks before September 11, 2001, when CIA agents visited President Bu$h to tell him of the coming attack. Our president's answer: "Okay, you've covered your asses." That was only the beginning. This book by Ron Suskind will open your eyes and most probably enrage you. Suskind illuminates how three men, Bu$h, Cheney and Rumsfeld, manipulated the system to get to the goal they had decided upon way before the U.S. was attacked. Suskind also describes how Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice schemed to rid the CIA of George Tenet. The book is a revelation. Click on the title for The New York Times Book Review. Simon and Schuster, 368 pages, hardcover.
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq. "Fiasco," the title of this devastating new book about the American invasion and war in Iraq says it all. That is the judgment that Thomas E. Rocks, senior Pentagon correspondent for The Washington Post, passes on the Bu$h administration's decision to invade Iraq and its management of the war and occupation. And, he serves up his portrait of that war as a misguided exercise in hubris, incompetence and folly with a wealth of detail and evidence that is both staggeringly vivid and persuasive. By virtue of the author's wealth of sources within the American military and the book's comprehensive timeline (beginning with the administration's inflammatory statements about Saddam Hussein in the wake of 9/11, through the invasion and occupation, to the escalating religious and ethnic strife that afflicts the country today), "Fiasco" is absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how the United State came to go to war in Iraq, how a bungled occupation fed a ballooning insurgency and how these events will affect the future of the American military. Penguin Press, 416 pages, hardcover.
The Best War Ever: Lies, Damn Lies and the Mess in Iraq, by best-selling authors John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, is a vital and timely account of why the Bu$h administration is losing the bloody and hugely unpopular war in Iraq (We have met the enemy-and it's our own PR machine). Ignoring international law, public opinion and its own Iraq experts, the Bu$h team has chosen instead to churn out reams of lies and propaganda through conservative media outlets and PR campaigns. And as the book reveals, they're still doing it...the people who sold us the war in Iraq are now trying to sell us a dangerous and deadly expansion of the war into Syria and Iran.
Watch the flash video trailer of the book by clicking on the
title above.
Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, by President Jimmy Carter, follows the success of his # 1 New York Times bestseller, Our Endangered Values. The Nobel Peace Price winner has written a courageous and timely book that assesses what must be done to bring permanent peace to Israel and Palestine. Carter shares his knowledge of the Middle East and his own experiences with its leaders. He lays out three possibilities for the future of the region and tells why only one show any promise for peace. Simon & Schuster, 320 pages, hardcover.
Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government — And How We Take It Back, by David Sirota, describes the conquest of America’s democratic government by Big Money interests. Sirota, a former congressional staffer, says although major, high-profile scandals are roiling Washington, D.C., the most prevalent examples of the hostile takeover are “the almost invisible, day to day corruption tales that plague American politics.” This book is not just for the political elite — it’s written for regular Americans who want to know what is happening to their democracy. Crown, 384 pages, hardcover.
The Mighty & The Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright looks at America's position in the world and the roles religion and morality play in shaping U.S. foreign policy. She offers her thoughts on how foreign policy and religion can best intersect. This book presents in a very clear manner Madeleine Albright's view of how to talk to people whose faiths are different from yours, how to counteract jihadi propaganda, and how to spread democracy around the world in a way that leads to peace. HarperCollins, 352 pages, hardcover.
American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century, by Kevin Phillips, takes on three great threats to America’s well-being: our dependence on shrinking oil supplies, radicalized religion and massive domestic and international debt. Phillips draws historical parallels to similar conditions in the past, describes the growing power of the financial services industry and suggests healthier approaches that encourage personal savings and manufacturing. Viking Adult, 480 pages, hardcover.
Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, by President Jimmy Carter, outlines his worldview and key problems in the 21st century, including war, environmental negligence, terrorism, civil liberties, the divide between rich and poor, fundamentalism and the separation of church and state. Reflecting on his vast experience, President Carter, a man of faith, describes his own involvement and reactions to these important issues of our day. Simon and Schuster, 212 pages, hardcover.
Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency, by West Virginia's Senator Robert Byrd, combines his scholar's understanding of constitutional government with the experience gained in his nearly half-century of Senate tenure. Byrd, a veteran Democrat who has served under 11 presidents, offers scathing criticism of Bu$h, whom he sees as undeserving of the office, unfit to lead, "callow and reckless," and "incredibly dangerous." Besides criticizing the much-discussed rise of the neoconservative philosophy, Byrd bemoans what he sees as the erosion of constitutionally mandated separation of powers. He uses well-reasoned legal and historical arguments to illustrate his concerns.
W. W. Norton & Company, 128 pages, hardcover. Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America, by Senator Byron L/ Dorgan, contends that while exporting jobs may be good for the giant corporations, it is a disaster for America as a whole. Dorgan exposes the absurdity of our global trade policies, such as our trade deficit that increases by $2 billion a day, and is not afraid to name names. Thomas Dunne Books, 277 pages, hardcover.
Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America, by James Green, offers a narrative history of Chicago’s Haymarket bombing at a labor rally in May 1886 and the infamous trial that followed. Green recounts the rise of the first great labor
movement in the wake of the Civil War and brings to life the
20-year battle for the eight-hour workday.
Communities Without Borders: Images and Voices from the World of Migration, by David Bacon, uses oral history and photojournalism to document the new reality of migrant experience: the creation of transnational communities.
Cornell University Press, ILR Books, hardcover and trade
paper. Labor's Troubadour, by labor balladeer Joe Glazer, who died in September at age 88, reveals the powerful role music can play in the serious business of changing the world. For more than half a century, armed only with his guitar, reams of songs, and conviction, labor balladeer Joe Glazer has marshaled the power of music to fight for union representation in mills, mines, factories and offices all over the country. Here he recounts his experiences as a performer, educator, and "musical agitator for all good causes." University of Illinois Press, hardcover and trade paper.
The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bu$h, by Jack Rasmus, gives a broad historical view of recent offensives by corporate entities, the shift in income from workers to the
owners of capital and suggestions for progressive solutions.
All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy, by Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute, proposes “common sense” collective approaches for solving such major problems as the health care crisis and
stagnant wages.
The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences, by veteran New York Times business reporter Louis Uchitelle, is an eye-opening account of the devastating impact of layoffs on individuals at all income levels. It traces the rise of job security in the United States and the factors that caused a U-turn beginning in the 1970s. Uchitelle chronicles the experiences of both executives and workers, following three Stanley Works CEOs from 1968 through 2003 and showing that each gradually become more willing than his predecessor to lay off workers. Uchitelle makes clear that layoffs are counterproductive and rarely promote long-term efficiency or profitability. This is a passionate and compelling book that argues our government must create policies to encourage companies to restrict layoffs and create jobs. Alfred A. Knopf publisher, 304 pages, hardcover.
Mad Sheep, a riveting new book, is the true story of an organic sheep farm in Vermont destroyed by the USDA in an effort to mislead the American public about the real hazards of Mad Cow disease and safeguard the profits of factory farms and the beef industry. Linda Faillace, scientist, farmer, wife and mother of three tells the harrowing story of corruption, gun-toting federal agents, and heart-breaking loss with amazing clarity and skill. Learn more and read the fiery Foreword to the book by Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic Consumers Association by clicking on the title. Chelsea Green Publishing, 352 pages, hardcover.
America: Back on Track, is by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who argues that we are ay a crossroads, and only brave and determined leadership can set us on the right track. With a Senate career that has spanned more than four decades, Senator Kennedy has become one of the strongest voices in American politics. In this, his first major policy book in more than twenty years, he argues that America has departed more deeply from its fundamental ideals than at any time in its modern history. In response to this erosion of basic values, he presents a sweeping agenda for reform and renewal, speaking to the country's most significant needs at home and abroad. National security, the war in Iraq, terrorism and key domestic challenges such as jobs, health care, education, civil rights, energy and the environment all receive major attention in his proposals to counter the harmful policies of the current administration, restore America's respect in the world, and create a better America here at home where democracy, individual opportunity, equal justice and innovation can flourish. Penguin USA, 224 pages, hardcover.
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is Senator Barack Obama's first book. Elected the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama was offered a book contract, but the intellectual journey he planned to recount became instead this poignant, probing memoir of an unusual life. Born in 1961 to a white American woman and a black Kenyan student, Obama was reared in Hawaii by his mother and her parents, his father having left for further study and a return home to Africa. Obama's not-unhappy youth is nevertheless a lonely voyage to racial identity, tensions in school, struggling with black literature, and a one-month-long visit when he was 10 with his father. After college, Obama became a community organizer in Chicago. He slowly found place and purpose among folks of similar hue but different memory, winning enough small victories to commit himself to work as a civil rights lawyer before entering politics. Crown, 464 pages, hardcover.
Have a recommended reading or viewing? Send your review to info@BCDemocrats.org.
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